MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – Local 24 News political analyst and commentator Otis Sanford shares his point of view on the latest plan for Shelby County to help fund MATA.
There’s an old saying that goes like this. If you want a greatidea to die, give it to a committee. I’m not sure Shelby County Commissionersare aware of that line. So they have taken a perfectly reasonable idea to putcounty taxpayer dollars into the Memphis Area Transit Authority – and turned itover to an ad hoc committee.
The committee will be chaired by commission chairman MarkBillingsley, which lends some comfort that the issue will be taken seriously.But fellow commissioners seem to be woefully divided over how to best get the$9 million annually to fund MATA.
The latest plan was to tack on an additional $20 to the vehicleregistration fee that all vehicle owners pay annually. The idea seemed to havebipartisan support. But if it did, it quickly dissolved during Wednesday’scontentious commission meeting.
The vice chair of the Shelby County Republican Party showed up tolet commissioners know the local party absolutely opposes a tax increase.Before the meeting was over, Commissioner Tami Sawyer summed things up, bydescribing the MATA funding debate as a mess. I tend to agree.
County Mayor Lee Harris tried his best to put a positive spin onthe stalemate, by equating it to making sausage. Except sausage eventuallycomes together in a neat package.
It’s doubtful a county agreement to fund public transportation everwill. And that’s my point of view.